Living Springs Church receives approval to operate out of Coteau St. building

Living Springs Church is moving into a building at 303 Coteau St. W. after receiving approval for discretionary use from Moose Jaw City Council on Monday night. 

The Living Springs Church is currently holding its services at the Moose Jaw Events Centre, but is looking to move into a building it can call its own. 

Rob Reimer is the pastor at the church, a name that might be familiar to hockey fans in the city from 1987 to 1991. 

“You might remember the days that I skated for the Warriors. I played four years for the team here and my last year here I was captain and Moose Jaw's got a special spot in my heart,” Reimer told city council. 

The building itself has gone through a number of changes over the years. From the 1940s to the early 2000s it was a church that discontinued operation. 

“As a resident of South Hill, I used to attend church in that building, and so I think it’s a great use in that neighbourhood. It fits well and I think it’ll be a welcome addition over there,” said Coun. Heather Eby. 

The Living Springs Church received approval for a discretionary use application to operate out of the building at 303 Coteau St. W.

The city had no record of a change of occupancy or tenants until 2010. A discretionary use application was approved to use the building once again as a place of worship but the church could not meet the Zoning Bylaw parking standards of 24 spaces. 

The building was then changed from a place of worship to a retail store and residence in 2020.  

A discretionary use application was approved in July for a new private school, Roots School. However, it ended up moving to a different location on High Street. 

Discretionary use approval was needed to revert the building back to a place of worship since it hadn’t been used as a church for over a year. 

The application was approved unanimously with the condition that it has a maximum occupancy of 90 people to meet on-site parking requirements. If the church decides to expand over 90 people it must appeal to the Development Appeal Board. 

The application approval is also subject to the church obtaining a development and building permit to change the use of the property.